Featured Image by DANIEL ZALKUS for Politco//DANIEL ZALKUS

We are living in uncertain times where the coronavirus, or COVID19, has changed life in ways we once thought unimaginable. Our hearts go out to all of you, those on the front lines, those isolated at home, those who’ve lost jobs, those caring for and/or worried about vulnerable loved ones. The devastating effects on health, mental health, employment, and overall well-being have touched everyone but none so much as minorities, the poor, the aging, and other vulnerable populations raising vivid recognition of inequities in healthcare and service delivery systems. As future and current social workers, we are ethically compelled to respond to the needs of individuals, communities, and populations in times such as this from a standpoint of social justice and inclusion.
In the midst of the COVID crisis we have also witnessed in myriad ways the best of humanity. Sewing Masks for Maine provided 15,000 masks for healthcare workers across the state. Musicians serenaded us on Zoom; artists offered virtual tours; children, families, and neighborhoods have stayed connected in inventive ways; and educators have modeled to their students how to think outside of the box! All of these efforts bring healing and respite, rising beyond the limits of social distancing. The UNE School of Social Work is committed to providing students, alumni, faculty, university colleagues, friends, and community partners with up-to-date social work-related COVID-19 resources on our website and blog. Please check back often as we will be adding to these resources regularly. If you have articles, art, stories, or other materials you’d like us to include, please send them along!
From all of us in the School of Social Work we ask that you stay safe, healthy, kind, and connected.
For the most up to date information about COVID19, please visit:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- State of Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention
- Open Near Me at Newscenter Maine
- SAMHSA’s tips for Social Distancing and Isolation – SAMHSA
- World Health Organization Situation Reports: For the latest information from WHO on where COVID-19 is spreading:
- Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, COVID-19 Resource Center
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- Summary of Key Provisions of The Families First Coronavirus Response Act – Kaiser Family Foundation.
UNE’s SSW Mental Health and COVID19 BLOG Series:

- Alumni Spotlight: Carly Woolard ’19 reflects on COVID19 and Black Lives Matter
- Alumni Spotlight: Kallie Dorsey ’19, Medical Social Work and COVID-19
- Ambiguous Loss in the time of COVID19 and Widespread Protests for Racial Justice – Dr. Shelley Cohen Konrad
- Minimize Comparative Suffering and Maximize Empathy
- Managing Stress and Cultivating Emotional Resiliency
- MSW Students Help Older Adults Combat Feelings of Loneliness and Isolation
- Reflections from MSW Student, Amanda Garami ’21
- Faculty Reflections
- Self-Care
To view our entire Mental Health and COVID19 series click HERE
Resources for Providers:
- ASWB COVID19
- NASW
- Ethical Considerations
- COVID-19 Workforce Issues page: Guidance for clinical social workers on how to safely resume in-person services.
- Global Social Service Workforce Alliance: How Social Service Workers are Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19
- The National Nursing Home Social Work Network
- The Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network. SWHPN provides a page of resources for hospice and palliative care professionals during the COVID-19 crisis.
- Below are resources to support clinical social workers in their role during the pandemic:
- School Social Work Association of America
- Pandemic Crisis Services Response Coalition : A collection of resources for COVID-19 front-line workers and loved ones of front-line workers, including free mental health services for the helpers
- Telehealth and Medicare During COVID-19: NASW – resources and details on Medicare telehealth
- HIPAA Journal about telehealth services and relaxed HIPAA enforcement during the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resources for COVID-19 – Public Health Insider
- Checklist for Community and Faith-Based Leaders – CDC
- Preventative Practices and FAQ’s for Faith-Based Communities – CMS
- Working with people with Disabilities, What is COVID-19? – Green Mountain Self-Advocates
- Considerations for People Living with HIV and LGBTQIA+ People

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress:
- The New Social Worker: Safety and COVID-19 in Our Professional Social Work Roles: Rights, Responsibilities, and Resources
- Behavioral Healthcare Executive: Recommendations from County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
- New Guidance on Caseworker Visits via Videoconferencing: policy changes to allow videoconferencing for monthly caseworker visits, in addition to changes related to program improvement plans, title IV-E reviews, and more.
- Children’s Bureau: Conducting Effective Remote Hearings in Child Welfare Cases
- Tools to Help Advocates Reduce Social Isolation During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Supporting Children & Families:
- Dr. Robin Leake: Child Welfare and COVID-19: Ensuring safety and well-being in a global pandemic (University at Buffalo, School of Social Work PODCAST, June 2, 2020)
- Talking to Children about COVID-19 – National Association of School Psychologists
- Supporting Kids during COVID-19 – Child Mind Institute
- Click here for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) parent/caregiver guide to helping families cope with COVID-19.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Talking With Children Tips for Caregivers Parents & Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress: Helping Homebound Children during COVID-19 Outbreak
- Finding the Right Words Talking to Children & Teens About Coronavirus
- Managing Family Conflict While Home During COVID-19
- Washington University in St. Louis: Child Abuse Prevention Month in the Context of COVID-19
- Implications of COVID-19 for Protecting Children and Supporting Families: Current Realities and Future Impacts, by network co-lead Melissa Jonson-Reid, PhD.
- Children’s Bureau Virtual Visitation Resources (in child welfare and other fields)
Supporting Older Adults:
- Maine Wisdom Summit: Aging Well Through COVID, Supporting Resiliency & Growth in the Midst of a Pandemic
- University of New England Center of Excellence for Aging and Health: Virtual Learning and Support Through COVID19
- COVID-19 and Age: Risks and Opportunities, by network co-lead Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD.
- National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care: COVID19 frequently asked questions
- John A. Hartford Foundation: Care for Older Adults
Interpersonal Violence:
- Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence: Response to COVID19
- Council on Foreign Relations: A Double Pandemic – Domestic Violence in the Age of COVID19
Homelessness:
- Recommended Strategic Approaches for COVID-19 Response for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
- Using Medicaid Waivers to Improve Access to Care for People Experiencing Homelessness During COVID-19
- Homelessness & COVID-19: Considerations and Action Steps
- Estimated Emergency and Observational/Quarantine Bed Need for the US Homeless Population Related to COVID-19 Exposure by County; Projected Hospitalizations, Intensive Care Units and Mortality
- Coronavirus Planning for HUD Continuum of Care Areas
- Other Covid-19 resources from National Alliance to End Homelessness
Corrections and Incarceration:
- COVID-19 Behind Bars: How Illinois is Protecting the Incarcerated
- Anne E. Casey Foundation: Juvenile Justice Priorities During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Poverty Impact
- University of Madison, Wisconson: IRP Poverty Dispatch, How COVID19 disproportionately affects the poor
Economic Consequences:
- Basic Income, COVID-19, and Economic Security (Michael Anthony Lewis, Hunter College)
- Financial Inclusion to Help Mitigate the Economic Consequences of COVID-19 (Mat Despard, University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
- Staying Afloat Through Financial Interdependence (Jeffrey Anvari-Clark, University of Maryland)
- Financial Apps in the Era of Coronavirus (Jodi Jacobson Frey, Jeffrey Anvari-Clark, and Sara Johnson, University of Maryland)
- A new day: Financial Security and the Role of Nonprofits
- Pandemic Money Management: Simple, Yet Not Easy
- “Parasite,” COVID-19, and U.S. Wealth Inequality
- Retirement Savings: The SECURE Act Helps; Can More Be Done?
- Perspective from a Montana resident
Courses and Webinars:
- University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine: Dialogues in Diversity: Explorations of the EDI Implications of COVID-19 (series of seven webinars: June – Aug 2020)
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the National Coalition of STD Directors – Free on-demand course available for those interested in training to become contact tracers to identify and track new COVID-19 cases: Making Contact: A Training for COVID-19 Contact Tracers
- National Center for Interprofessional Practice & Education: Webinars from Nexus
- Special webinar by the Grand Challenge for Social Work’s Harness Technology for Social Good Network that provides leaders in social work education information about resources they can give to educators, field faculty, and service providers who are using technology.

Social Work Educator Resources:
- CSWE Responding to Corona Virus – Resources that can be of service to educators, students, and programs, as social work education continues to change during these times. Also provides information on accreditation and updates on industry events
- University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Continuing Professional Development: Stay current on the most recent information by visiting our COVID-19 Resource Library.
- Pearson VUE’s COVID-19 update page offers more detailed information.
- COVID-19 update page offers more detailed information. This is about Pearson locations that deliver academic exams. Not sure we need this.
Resources For the Public:
Self-Care
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
- Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health – Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine & Isolation
- Click here for the World Health Organization (WHO) mental health considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak.
- The Wellness Society has created the Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook, a tool to help you build resilience during difficult times.
Websites
- University of California San Francisco Weill Neuroscience Institute: Emotional Well-Being and Coping During Covid19
- Somatic Experiences Research and Resources – Trauma Healing
Podcasts/Video Series
- UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs: Alumni Social Workers on the Front Lines of COVID-19
- Unlocking Us With Brené Brown: David Kessler With Brené on Grief and Finding Meaning [podcast, March 31, 2020].
- Psychotherapist and Buddhist Meditation Teacher, Tara Brach’s Pandemic Care Resources
- Neurosequential Network COVID-19 Stress, Distress & Trauma Series
- Under the Skin Podcast with Russell Brand
- Radiolab COVID-19 Dispatch Series : Radiolab, with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, is a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.
- TED Connects: Community and Hope : Free, live, daily conversation series featuring experts whose ideas can help us reflect and work through this uncertain time with a sense of responsibility, compassion and wisdom.
Books
- Kessler, D. (2019). Finding meaning: The sixth stage of grief. Simon & Schuster.
Magazines/Articles
- COVID-19: Issues in Science and Technology
- Philly Voice: Three Breathing Exercises to Ease Your Coronavirus Anxiety
- UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine: The Science of a Meaningful Life
- International Federation of Social Workers – As Social Workers Work Through The COVID 19 Crisis We Work Towards A Better World
- Social Work Today : Uncertain Times – Coping With Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Why African Americans Are Hardest Hit by COVID-19
- Lessons From Wuhan: The Role of Social Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Implications of Coronavirus (COVID-19) for America’s Vulnerable and Marginalized Populations
- “The Psychological Trauma That Awaits Our Doctors and Nurses” by Jennifer Senior of The New York Times.
- Taylor & Francis Group, Free to Access Publications on COVID-19: Novel Coronavirus Content
- Science Magazine: Social distancing prevents infections, but it can have unintended consequences
- UNE COM alum’s Photo Essay From Virus’ Front Lines Published in Wall Street Journal
Art
- Project COVID19- Art, Poetry, Writing and other creative responses to COVID19
- POLITICO: Artists Draw Our New Normal
- Art in the Time of COVID: A sampling of art work by UNE students 2020
- Maine Art Scene: Artist, Amy Ray, creates Pandemic Series
- United Nation Covid19 Resources PSA/Artwork
Call for Papers:
- Global Social Welfare: Research, Policy Practice
- Social Work (Special Issue) Pandemics, Economics, Systems, and the Future of Social Work